M40 Helmet

[Jdenson]

Damn alright. I remember seeing a book that has alot of lot numbers and the supposed branch for it so I was hoping for an idea haha. I'm also fully aware that the chinstrap and liner is repro thank you.

[MAP]

Damn alright. I remember seeing a book that has alot of lot numbers and the supposed branch for it so I was hoping for an idea haha. I'm also fully aware that the chinstrap and liner is repro thank you.

Some people use Brian Ice's Lot number book. But in most cases, any lot # book will not prove a batch # correlation to decal type (Heer, KM, Luft, SS, Police, etc).

What we do "generally" know is that certain manufactures were given contracts to produce helmets for certain branches during certain years. This is not based on surviving documentation but through careful study and observations of verified original helmets. This information can be found in Ken Niewiarowicz book "The Helmet Decals of the Third Reich". So for example we know that ET was given contracts to produce Luft helmets from 1935 up to 1943 (not data available for 1944), Heer helmets from 1935 to 1945, KM helmets from 1938 to 1942, and SS from 1936 to 1943.

So....as you can see, ET produced helmets for all the main branches during the life of the M40 helmet. Thus your helmet could have been any branch.

You can use this link for a smaller Lot # database, but it is extremely accurate. It is compiled by our own member Schwerpunkt. In fact, you should read through the whole website. Extremely informative

Lot numbers database – German Helmet Vault